Apparatus for roasting and sintering ores.



1 A. 's. DWIGHT.

APPARATUS FOR ROASTING AND SINTERING ORES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, 1907. RENEWED 1111.21, 1910.

1,021,509. 1 Patented Mar.26,,19l2.

aHoz nu;

UNITED STATES OFFICE.

ARTHUR S. DWIGHT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,-TO DWIGHT AND LLOYD METALLURGICAL COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR ROASTING' AND SINTERING ORES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Application filed April 17, 1907, Serial No. 368,675. Renewed January21, 1910. Serial No. 539,314.-

.Sintering Ores, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for treating metalbearing materials, particularly ores of the metal sulfid class, theapparatus being well adapted for carrying out the process which ispresented in the Patents 882,517 and 882,518 issued on the 17th day ofMarch, 1908, to myself jointly with Richard L. Lloyd. In the saidpatents we illustrated and described a numher of devices for supportingand for trans porting masses of ore to be treated and for conducting thetreatment in such way that a desulfurizing and sintering of the orecould be attained more thoroughly and completelv than had been attainedby any appa ratus or process theretofore known by us. While We thereindescribed, as coming within the general scope of our invention, thesupporting or holding of the ore in such way that the particles of theore mass in advance of the region of combustion were held in quiescenceduring the desulfurizing and sintering stages, we illustrated morespecifically a method and apparatus by which the air or combustionsupporting gas was carried downWardfroni the-top surface of the mass tothe lowermost surface. Under some circumstances it has been foundadvantageous to support the ore in such way. that the draft of air orgas is directed upward or in a direction other than directly downward.And in such case it is necessary to maintain the particles of the cm ina state of quiescence in relation to each other for the same purposesthat are fully set forth in the said applications.

I herein present.- an apparatus by which my present process of treatmentcan be carried. out when the gases are caused to pass in directionsother than directly downward.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side View of amechanism embodying mypresent improvements. line a w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is across section onthe line 3 y of Fig. 4, but. on a smaller scale. Fig. 4 is a partiallongitudinal section on the line a, z of Fig. 2 but on a lar er scale.Fig. -5 is a vert-icalsection of one side of the chamber or box fordirecting the air. Fig. 6"is aside view of the parts in Fig. 5 Figs. 7,8-and'9'respectively show modified forms of ore supporting and carryingdevices. Fig. 10 is a'section of a non-traveling and tilting ore supportor holder.

In Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings I have shown an. apparatus embodying myimprovements, but which, it is to be understood, is typical in characterand in respect to which I may make numerous modifications withoutdeparting from the essential features of the invention. The operativeparts are shown as supported upon a framwork having bottom sills, topsills, connecting uprights,-crossgirts, and intermediate bars or sills,as may be preferred.--';:Up on Fig. 2 is a cross section on the in anyway preferred. The bodypart of the carrier should be pervious to air inorder that the passage of air or other gases can be readily permitted.In Fig. 7 it is shown as made of, perforated plates 5 hinged togetherand'mounted upon suitable wheels or drums 2. In Fig. 8 it is shown madeof pans or pallets 5*, with perforated bottoms, hinged or linkedtogether or con nected to endless chains 5. In Fig. 9 a carrier formedof perforated link bars or plates is shown, at 5 The carrier 5, althoughpermitting the passage of air or gas therethrough, shouldbe of suchnature as to provide support for the mass or layer of ore which is to besubjected to treatment. The ore is indicated in Fig. 4 by 19, 19", 19That part indicated by 19 is still in,the

- sintering stages.

combustion supporting air or gas are 1ncrude condition in which it iswhen stored in the hopper and for a short time after its delivery to thecarrier.

19* indicates the ore while traveling across the region of treatment. At19 the finished and sintered product which remains upon the carrier isillustrated. In the present case the ore is supplied with currents ofair which, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, travel upward through the ore massas it is being carried through the machine.

6 is an air box or chamber situated immediately below the upper run ofthe conveyer 5, the lower run returning on lines ,below the box. Air issupplied to this box 6 under pressure from the fan 6" or other suitableair supplying mechanism through duct 6*. The dimensions of the airdelivery box 6 may be any that are desired, but by preference 1 form itof about the width-of the conveyer and of a length such that it can bereadily arranged between the wheels or drums at 2, 2. v

At 10 I arrange devices by which the combustible elements of the oremasscan be readily ignited. As shown, this igniter consists of a gas pipearranged transversely of the bed of ore and below-the feed hopper andpreferably immediately below the perforated or pervious carrier 5. Ithas a number of gas jets or orifices across the conveyer. The undersurface of the ore mass is ignited by this and immediately thereafterreaches the region where the air is forced up through the mass.

For the several reasons set forth in the said earlier applications it isdesirable to hold all the particles. of the ore mass or layer in suchway that they will not be agitated, disturbed or moved in relation toeach other during the desulfurizing and When the currents of troduced atthe bottomof a mass of such ore upward rising aircurrents tend todestroy the desired quiescence among the particles of ore and to carryofi' with the moving air currents more or less flue-dust, al-

though their action onthe lowermost particles is to some extent overcomeby the gravity of those above. As the air rises its orce becomesrelativel reater and greater and the restraining or o ding action of theupper particles becomes less and less efficient. That is to say theagitation, disturbance and moving of the particles among each other tendto become greater as the air approaches the top, And it is now knownthat the sintering or agglomerating action among the particles becomesless in substantially the same ratio. Consequently, a large perceptageof the ore body in its up per region remains p ulverulent, or in thecondition of fines, in which they werefirst introduced. I overcome thistendency to agitate or disturb these particles of the mass which areopposite to the surface Where the air'enters by providing a covering orblanket for the top of the ore bed which protects the ore from theaction of the blast of air, minimizing the amount of flue-dust whichmight be created by the forced draft passing through the ore. Thisprotecting covering is preferably of such character and so applied thatit holds the ore particles in a state of quiescence and at the same timeallows the passage of air or the gases of reaction that are produced inthe interior of the mass. A perforated or equivalent plate, situatedabovethe ore mass, may be used, or a series of such plates, eitherresting directly upon the top of the ore mass or supported in suchposition as to be immediately adjacent to the upper surface thereof. 01'use may be made of a device substantially similar to that at 5, abovedescribed, for supporting and carrying the ore. These are examples ofmechanical, applied, supplemental blankets or protecting and restrictingdevices. Other forms of retainers or protecting means for the ore may,however, be employed, as for instance a'layer of rock or ore of largerparticles than the fines constituting the ore mass to be treated, asillustrated 1n my Patent No. 916,397 dated 'March 23, 1909.

In Figs. 1 to 4, I illustrate a second endless carrier or belt formed ofsuitable material, as shown at 5, this bein supported upon drums 2 2,carried bv s afts 3*, 3, mounted in bearings at 1. l3 preference, thedrums 2, 2 are so placed that the lower run or tangent portion of thisbelt 5 shall be of a length approximately equal to or somewhat longerthan the length of the air box 6, it being shown as extending on thedelivery side a short distance beyond the box.

The upper and the lower endless elements of the mechanism should be sospeeded that they will travel substantially together in order to preventsuch disturbance of the ore mass or layer between them as would resultin case of difference in speed.

20 indicates the power receiving and transmitting pulley securedto theshaft '3".

17 is a belt (here shown as crossed) for transmitting power from theshafting of the lower apron to one of the shafts of .the upper apron.

Immediately above the air delivery or inlet box 6 there is a chamber at8 for collecting and receiving the products of combusbox or hood 8 therecan be wide election and modification. As shown, these parts are and c 7With parts constructed and arranged as formed of sheet iron. Thesidewalls-of the inlet box' 6 have outwardly turned flanges 11 at itsupwardedge and-the upper partof this box or hood has similarly outwardlyturned flanges 12 between which there are spacing devices, preferablypieces of ashestos 14, and the opposing flanges are rigidly fastened toether by the bolts at 14. There are open 0 annels or guideways ,thusprovided in which are fitted the side edges ofthe conveyer or belt 5,which is thereby held firmly in horizontal position and preventedfromunduly sagging. The lower sections 15 of the side Walls of the upperpart' of the box constitute side guides for the ore mass or layer. Theyare turned inward toward their lower edges so as to tend to hold thematerial well in at the sides and at the same time make provision forthe, settling of the ore and for the contraction thereof during thedesulfurizing and sin tering. The side walls'of the upper part, of thebox at Bare connected by plates or closures at the ends and top so thatthe col box'shall be a comparatively tight lectin fiJsed chamber.

above described the mode of operation will be readily understood. Thehopper at 1 is provided with a quantity of the ore to be treated, andwhich may be understood to be fines of a sulfid ore typified by galenaor .copper or iron pyrites, separate from each- I other or mixed. Theore gradually moves downward by gravity and is deposited in a layer onthe traveling carrier. It will be seen that themouth or escape orificeat the bottom of the hopper is of such vertical dimension as to insurethat a comparatively deep layer shall be delivered to the conveyer, andone which is uniform in depth, the lower front edge 1 of the hoppermouth serving as a scraping and leveling device. A relatively slowmovement is imparted to the conveyor (in some cases only two inches perminute, depending, however, upon the several factors, such as the lengthof the conveyor, the thickness of the layer, &c.) but the layer orstream of material soon reaches the vertical plane of the ignitingdevices at 10 and shortly thereafter the vertical planes of the lowerpart of the upper belt 5*, which thereafter rests gently upon the topsurface of the ore or lies in close. proximity thereto. .At about thesame time the,ore reaches the vertical planes of ,.the air box 6, andair begins to travel with more or less force through the lower surfaceof the mass and through the interior thereof to the upper surface. Atthe initial end of the box this air acts first to support and continuethe combustion which has been, started by the igniting devices. As thestream or layer gradually advances the points of combustion are higherand higher in the body of the ore, finally reaching the upper surface.The heat generated by-this internal combustion is such that thesintering or agglomerating of the particles is almost simultaneous withthe chemical reaction of the combustion, or, at least, follows quicklythereafter. And as the particles from top to bottom through this portionat 19 of the ore stream are held against disturbance and maintained inproper proximity one .with its neighbors, the sintering action isuniform from bottom to top. This is in contradistinction from theactions which occur when an ore mass of this character is subjected tointernal combustion and up-drafts of air without restraining devices ormeans for holding in quiescence those particles which are in the stratumalong the surfaceavhere the gases have exit. The various gaseousproducts of this combustion or chemical reaction are under the action ofthe draft carried upward into the collecting box at 8 and thence throughthe duct or trunk 9 to a suitable conduit or stack. It will beunderstood, of course; that if desired an exhaust device or suctionproducer can be employed in connection with the collecting box 8 andtrunk 9; and, fur ther, that if circumstances permit it such exhaust orsuction can be depended upon entirely and pressure devices on theopposite side of the mass can be omitted. The two air boxes 6 and 8together constitute a blast chamber through which the, endless travelingore carrier, the bed of ore thereon, and the protecting coveringorblanket for the upper surface of the ore travel. The parts of theapparatus and the speeds are so related that by the time the layerreaches the end of the air box the combustion will have traveled to theupper surface and the sintering of the entire mass from bottom to topwill be completed. This sintered mass advances with the belts for ashort distance and is then removed or allowed to drop at points beyondthe drums 2 and 2. If re quired a scraper can be employed at 22 toinsure that the sinter shall be effectually detached from the carriers.

A-bov'e I have described an apparatus by which the material can beadvanced continuously while undergoing treatment. But that thedesulfurizingand sintering of the mass, by themselves considered, can becarried on with devices which are stationary will be understood uponexamining Fig. 10. In this case a tilting receptacle or ore holder 24 isprovided. There are two ore retaining or restraining devices, one belowand one above the mass, as shown at 25 and 27. That at 25 may beregarded as a grate or perforated plate. That at 27 may be similar incharacter and arranged either to rest upon the top of the ore or to havethe latter placed with proper compactness or looseness between the upperand the lower plates. The air is introduced through one of these platesand the products of combustion or chemical reaction escape through theother. If they pass in an upward direction, as is preferable in thiscase, the upper part at 27 holds the particles in the upper part of themass in fixed position to insure their sintering. This non-travelingholder 24 may be mounted as shown so as to be tilted or inverted whenthe sinter is to be emptied out. Below the ore holder there is shown agrizzly or set of grate bars at 28, upon which the sintered cake can'bedeposited, and which after the cake is broken will permit the lumps ofproper size to fall through to a chamber or receptacle which can beprovided with a car or conveyer to take oft" the material.

Inasmuch as the novel method of treatment, or process herein described,does not depend essentially upon the devices herein shown or upon anyparticular form of apparatus I have in another application filed of evendate herewith presented claims for the novel features of such method orprocess which application has matured into Patent I I 910,390, datedMarch 23, 1909.

V I do not in this case present specific claims to the form of apparatusillustrated in Fig. '10, as that constitutes the subjectmatter of anapplication filed by me on the 2nd day of February, 1910, as a divisionof this case, bearing Serial Number 541,506.

What I claim is: 1

1. In an apparatus for treating ores and metal bearing materials, thecombination of a support for the material having gas pas-' sages,meansfor igniting the material while a on the support on the lower sideof the mass, and a substantially horizontally arranged retaining devicefor the upper part of the material having gas exit passages,substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for treating ores or metal bearing materials, an oreholder havforth.

3. In an apparatus for treating metal bearing materials, the combinationof 'a traveling support for the material, means for delivering air tothe lower part of the said material whereby combustion can be startedand supported in said lower part, and means for holding or restrainingin quiescence the particles in the upper part of the mass of materialwhen it is moving bodily, substantially as set forth.

4. In an apparatus for treating ores or metal bearing materials, thecombination of a traveling support for the ore, means for delivering airto that part of the same which is adjacent to the support, said supporthaving a section for the reception of crude ore, a section for thesupport and a delivery of: sinter, and a section intermediate of the twosections aforesaid whereon the ore can be treated, and means opposite tothe last said section for restraining the opposite part of the oreagainst agitation or disturbance, substantially as set forth.

5. In an apparatus for treating ores or metal bearing materials, thecombination of an endless support for a layer or stream of ore adaptedto deliver air or gas to the interior of the body of said layer, and anendless restraining device adapted to contact with the mass of ore inopposition to the supporting device, said restraining device beingmovable in the direction of the sup port, substantially as set forth.

6. In an apparatus for treating ores or metal bearing materials, thecombination of a traveling support for the material adapted to permitthe igniting thereof on the lower side of a mass of material and adaptedto permit air or combustion supporting gas to enter the lower part ofthe mass and to travel therethrough, and means for bolding orrestraining in quiescence the particles in the upper part of the mass ofmaterial while it is moving, substantially as set forth.

7. In an apparatus for treating ores and metal bearing materials, thecombination of a traveling support for the material adapted to permitthe igniting thereof on the lower side of the mass and adapted to permitair or combustion supporting gas to enter the lower part of the mass andtotravel therethrough, means above tl1e.material for collecting orwithdrawing the air or gases of combustion or reaction which escape fromthe upper part of the mass, and means for restraining against agitationor movement the particles in the upper part of the mass while it isbeing treated, substantially as set forth.

8. In an apparatus for treating ores and metal bearing materials, thecombination of a traveling support for the material adapted to permitthe ignit-ingthereof on the lower side and having air passages for theupward passage of air or combustion supporting gas,

and means for restraining the particles in the upper part of the massfrom disturbance or movement, said means having passages for the escapeof air or gases from the mass, substantially as set forth. I

9. In an apparatus for treating ores and metal bearing materials, thecombination of a traveling support for the material adapted to support alayer or mass thereof and pro vi-ded With gas passages, a retaining orrestraining device for the upper partof the ore having gas passages, andmeans for causing the travel of the support and of the retaining orrestraining devicewith approximately equal speeds, substantially as setforth.

10. In an apparatus for treating metal bearing material, the combinationof the traveling support adapted to carry a layer or mass of thematerial, said material being held, substantially as set forth, wherebythe lower part thereof can be ignited, means for guiding anddeliveringair to the said lower part of the mass of material, and atraveling holder or restrainingdevice adapted to' engage with theparticles of material along ,the upper surface and hold them inquiescence.

11. In an apparatus for treating ores or metal bearing materials, thecombination of the framework and the two opposing travelingore-supporting and retaining devices adapted to support alayer or streamof ore between them, and having gas. passages whereby air or gas can beadmitted to one surface of the said layer and gas can escape from theother surface of the layer, substantially as set forth. L

12. In an apparatus for treating ores or metal bearing materials, thecombination of the framework and the two opposing'moving ore-supp0rtingand retaining devices, each provided with gas passages, and means formoving them with substantially equal Speeds, substantially'as set forth.

13. In an apparatus for preparing ores for blast furnaces, a blastchamber, a traveling carrier operating therethrough, means fordelivering the ore to be prepared to such carrier and means forprotecting the bed of ores tobe prepared from the action of the blast inthe chamber.

14. In an apparatus for preparing ores for smelting furnaces and otherpurposes, a blast chamberfmeansifor continuously feeding the ores to beprepared through such chamber, and means for protecting the bed of oresto be prepared from the action of the blast in such chamber.

15.,In a machine for preparing ores and ing the lower portion of saidbed, and means for applying a protecting blanket upon the top of saidbed.

' 1.7..In an apparatusfor preparing ores or the like for smelting orother purposes, 'a

blast chamber, an endless carrieroperating therethrough, means. foractuating said carrier, supporting means for said carrier,

means for continuously delivering a bed of ores to be'treated to saidcarrier, and means for protecting the bed of ores from the action of theblast in the blast chamber.

18. In an apparatus for preparing ores or the lil e for smelting. orother purposes, a

blast chamber, a traveling carrier operating therethrough, means fordelivering the bed of ore to be treated upon said. carrier,'means forigniting such material, means for maintaining a blast upwardly throughsaid bed of material and means. for protecting the ores from the actionof the blast.

In testimony whereof I aflix'my signature,

in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

HANS FISCHER, H. E. BUERKLIN.

ARTHUR S. DWIGHT.

